War on drugs ‘abject failure,’ say Richard Branson & Nick Clegg

Businessman Sir Richard Branson and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg have branded the UK's ‘war on drugs’ a “colossal con” and laid out their case for decriminalizing the use and possession of almost all drugs.

The Virgin tycoon and
Liberal Democrat leader are calling for a major overhaul in the
way government classifies and criminalizes drug users.

Young people caught with small amounts of drugs for their own use
should not receive criminal convictions, they urged.

“The idea of eradicating drugs from the world by waging a war
on those who use them is fundamentally flawed for one simple
reason: it doesn't reduce drug taking.”

“The gulf between the rhetoric and the reality could not be
greater. The status quo is a colossal con perpetrated on the
public by politicians who are too scared to break the
taboo.”

In a speech at Chatham House on Wednesday alongside Branson,
Clegg attacked the “ludicrous” status quo that hinders
people attaining employment because of criminal records owing to
a “youthful mistake.”

“It's time for the Conservatives and Labour to realize that
the world has moved on, reform is no longer a taboo subject and
voters expect politicians to deliver results based on solid
evidence, not overblown rhetoric,” Clegg said.

“What we now need is brave political leadership to openly
acknowledge that new ways of controlling illegal drug markets and
discouraging use are required.”

Under current rules, someone cautioned for using drugs has to
declare it for six years when applying for certain jobs. If the
person is fined for the same offence they will have to declare it
for 11 years, while if the offender receives a prison sentence,
it is mandatory declare the incident for the rest of their lives.

Under the new Liberal Democrat proposals announced by Clegg,
users caught in possession of drugs for personal use would not be
imprisoned or entered into the criminal justice system, instead
receiving treatment, education or a civil fine.

Sir Richard Branson is a member on the UN's global commission on
drugs policy. The multimillionaire revealed he had caught his son
Sam smoking a joint when he was in his twenties and had smoked
cannabis with him.

The entrepreneur told ITV's Good Morning Britain: “I would
much rather he was smoking hash, which has been proven to be far
less damaging than alcohol, than skunk.

“If we leave it to the underworld, which makes nearly £400
billion a year, from selling drugs, our children are in danger
and the way to do it is to regulate.”

However, Clegg’s stance on drugs in the UK has been challenged by
the human rights NGO Reprieve, citing the Deputy PM’s support for
UK-funded drug raids abroad, including Pakistan, as
contradictory.

Director of the death penalty team at Reprieve, Maya Foa, said:
“Nick Clegg’s positive rhetoric is undermined by his dogged
defense of British funding for Pakistani drug raids, which
routinely end in death sentences for those caught.

“The death penalty for drug offences is the sharp end of the
failed war on drugs, yet Mr Clegg has stuck by the Home Office’s
counter-narcotics program as it has helped send hundreds to death
row – including British nationals.”

The UK has provided more than £12 million to Pakistan’s
Anti-Narcotics Force, which has cited the number of death
sentences it secures after drug raids as a “prosecution
achievement,” according to Reprieve.